Levi hetfield



(No Model.)

L. HETFELD.

GOAL POCKET AND DUMP.

No. 268,671. PatentedDec. 5, 1882.

N. Puma Fhmuxnagnpmr. wmingum. n. c.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.,

LEVI HETFlELD, OF FLAINFIELD, NEW JERSEY.

COAL POCKET AND DUMP.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 268,671, dated December 5, 1882.- n

Application filed September 6, 1882. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern Be it known that l, LEVI HETFIELD, of Plainfield, Union county,New Jersey, have inf vented a new and useful Improvement in Goal Pockets and Dumps; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters of reference marked thereon, makingoa part of thisH economize-space in the handling and in the storing of large quantities of coal to be deliveredfrom railway-cars and loaded into carts or wagons. i

It consists in an improved construction of trestles, pockets, and dumps, as is hereinafter fully explained. y

In the accompanying drawings, Figure l is a vertical section through my improved tres'tle and coal-dump, and` Fig. 2 aside elevation thereof.

AA represent the uprights, B the cross-bars, and G the longitudinal beams, of the trestleworkV upon which the railway is carried by which the cars are brought to the dump, D D are the rails laid and secured thereon inthe usual manner. The uprights are secured to transverse sills E E, and converge to the crossbeams at the top in the usual manner.

At the base of each of the uprights in the trestle A A B stout timbers F F are secured to the sill E, to extend upward and outwardly' at an Vangle with said uprights more or less acute, as shown in Fig. l, and are strongly sei cured in position by transverse joists Gr G,

bolted to the sides of the uprights and of said side timbers to extendV inwardly from the opposite sides of thetrestle until they meet centrally and at such aheight and such an angle as that their upper edgesintersect at a central point on the under side of the upper crossbeams, B, of the trestle, (seen at H, Fig. l.) The' upper ends of the side timbers, F, are also stayedand tied to the cross-ties J J upon the longitudinal track-beams C C by means of tiebeams K.

Longitudinal beams L L are inserted between the inclined joists G Gr to supporta flooring, L L, laid' thereon to form the bottom of the pockets M of myimproved dump.' The ends of the longitudinal floor-beams are tenoned into the inclined joists, and otherwise stoutly braced and secured thereto.

Plankin g N N, secured against the inner face of the inclined side timbers, F F, above the flooring L', serves to close in the'outer side of the pockets, which are strengthened by truss rods l? P, extended diagonally from transverse strips R R, laid under the door-beams, to strips R R upon the outer sides of the pockets, and also from said= strips R R to the cross-ties on the track-beams C C, all as clearly shown in Fig. 1.

One or more openings, S, are formed in the A crest or ridge formed bythe flooring of the pockets M on either side at their line of intersection under the center of the track, these openings being of suitable size to admit of a free delivery thereinto of the coa-l as it is dropped from the bottom of the cars run upon `the `track over the same. Immediately under said openings a supporting-plate, T, is suspended and upheld by means of suspensionrods U U;

The upper surface of the plate T may be beveled or inclined from the center to each side, as shown in the drawings. The opening left between the plate T and the iloorin g L of and sides by suitable planking, but longitudinal side apertures are left therein, which are openedor closed at pleasure by means of gates V V, operated from the level of the track above by means of rods W, incased and playin g freely in iron tubes W', which serve to prevent the rods from being confined by a pressure of coal against them. These gates and rods are preferably inclined, as shown in Fig. l oi' the drawings, to facilitate their movement. When the gates are opened the coal which may drop from the cars above` into the space over the sup- IOO porting-plate T is allowed to fall into the large storage-space formed under the pockets M, between the uprights of the trestle. The pockets M are so braced and strengthened bythe rods l? P as to need no central supports between the trestle-beams other than double posts YY, placed under the outer edge of the pockets midway of their length, so that the entire space under the trestle and its pockets is left free and unobstructed for the reception and storage of the coal. The coal thus stored isretained in place by removableplanking Z Z,titted against upright posts a tt, which are secured at the bottom to the ends of the sills E E, and at the top to the outer bottom edge of the pockets,

as shown in Fig. 1.

The gates V V are readily raised, when required, by means ot' a bar, e, inserted throughV a ring on the upper end of each gate-rodW and into a fixed ring or socket, b, secured for the purpose upon one of the cross-ties. A single detachable rod or lever may thus be employed to move any and all of the gates.

The height of the trestle of A B E and the inclinatiou of theflooring of its pockets MMis so adjusted as to permit a cart or wagon to be readily driven under the lower edge ot' the pockets either to be loaded directly therefrom or from the coal stored beneath.

In order to load the wagons or carts directly from the pockets one or more central openings, f, are formed at the level ot' the lioorin g of each pocket, in the outer side thereof, so that the flooring-planks may be extended out through said opening in an unbroken plane or incline to form an outward chute for Vthe coal. The sides and top of the chute so formed are properly inclosed to prevent the coal descending through the sa me from scattering. and a screen, g, is titled in the bottom thereof', over which the coal must slidebefore being delivered from the end of the chute into the cart or Wagon waitingin position to receive it. The delivery of coal from the pocket into and through each chute is controlled by a suitable gate, h, operated by along lever, t', hinged at its inner end to the side of the pocket, and which is also connected to the top of the gate by a hinge, as shown in Fig. 1. The gate-levers 'i 'i are of such length as that the driver of the wagon to be loaded may, when standing therein, operate the same. With double gates, as illustratedin Fig. 2, tbe driver, standingin position between them, may open both simultaneously. The coal, passing rapidly down each chute, is thoroughly screened in its descent, and the wagon may thus be lilled in a few moments with coal ready screened and freed from dust and dirt, without any manual labor other than as required for opening and closing the gates.

Upon the arrival of a car-load of coal upon the dump it may be emptied immediately into the pockets M M ready for automatic delivery into the wagons, the gates V V being kept closed. It', however, the pockets are full, the gates V V are opened and the surplus coal dropped into the storage-space beneath, to be shoveled up into the wagons.

The arrangements of double pockets, one on each side of the track, admits of the loading of two sets of wagons at the same time, and as each wagon may be loaded in a few minutes with coal screened and ready for delivery to consumers, the saving ot' time as well as of manual labor in handling the coal is very great, while the entire space under and on both sides of the track is rendered available for the vstorage of coal under the best possible conditions.

I claim as my invention- 1. The combination, with an elevated railway-track and its supporting trestle-work, and with inclined coal-pockets M M, formedon each side of the track to extend up to a central point under the same, of openings formed under the track in the crest of the dividin g-rid ge between the p ockets, and gates controlling said openings, whereby the surplus coal delivered from a car after the pockets are illed'may, without delaying the car, be passed into the storingspace under the pockets, substantially as and for the purpose herein set forth.

2. The combination, with an elevated railway-track, trestle-work supporting the same, inclined coal-pockets M M, formed on each side of the track to extend up to a central point under the same, and openings formed under the track in the flooring between the pockets, of a plate, T, supported immediately under said openings at a distance from the flooring suflcient to permit lateral openings between the outer edges of the plate and said flooring, and gates V V, adapted to control said openings, substantially in the manner and for the purpose herein set forth.

3. The combination, with the rods W, actuating the gates V V of a coal-dump, and passing through a receptacle, M, for the coal, of ixed inclosing-tubes W', adapted to protect the rod from weight and friction of the coal surrouudingit, substantially as herein set forth.

4. The combination, with an elevated inl clined coal-pocket M, and with an elevated chute arranged to project therefrom as an extension of its dooring, of a fixed screen, g, adapted to constitute a portion of the bottom of' the chute, substantially in the manner and for the purpose herein set forth.

5. The combination, with the chute of an elevated coal-pocket, M, and with the gatei controlling said chute, ot' a lever, It, extending outwardly from the chute, hinged at'one end to the side ot' the pocket, and hinged also to the top ot' the gate, substantially in the manner and for the purpose herein set forth.

6. The within-described coal dumping, storing, and deliver)- device, consisting of an elevated railway-track, trestle-work for its support7 lateral inclined pockets extending from a central point under the track outward 0n each side thereof, delivery-chutes and screens at the lower edge of each pocket elevated sufroo,

IZO

fclentl y to allow a wagon to pass under the same, gates and levers controlling said chutes, openings in theflooring of the pockets at their intersection under the track, and gates control- 5 ling the same, and a storage-space under the track protected and inclosed by the floor 0f the lateral pockets, all substantial] y as and for the purpose herein set forth.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subro scribing witnesses.

LEVI HETFIELD.

Witnesses; I"

WM. S. GUERINEAU, DAVID A. BURR. 

